Prejudice, Xeno, Animosity, Pain
by Nera Fiore
Summary: Los Grande Finale (!) [HOLES] Magnet and the nature of prejudice. When racism goes beyond words. And Magnet and the D-Tent boys have to suffer the consequences and take charge. ((Finished. Should really be rated PG-15.))
1. Part 1

****

Prejudice. Xeno. Animosity. Pain.

Magnet deals with the nature of discrimination. 

By Aly the WheelerChick.

****

Disclaimer(s): the lyrics are AFI's. Magnet, Holes, and other related persons and items are copywritten to Louis Sachar and other people that aren't myself.

REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF: this fic contains racism read art thou own risk. This author is by no mean racist, in fact, this author has been discriminated against….so….she knows what's she's talking about. OH! And I put a lot of Spanish in this. It's nothing of much importance though. All you really need to know is that "si" means "yes". Everything else is basically different ways of saying "leave me alone, it's nothing" etc, in Spanish.

**__**

Prejudice - To affect injuriously or detrimentally by a judgment or an act.

Xeno - Stranger; foreigner: xenophobia.

Animosity - Bitter hostility or open enmity; active hatred. 

Pain - An unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or emotional disorder. (source used: dictionary.com)****

As a rapturous voice escapes, I will tremble a prayer  
And I'll beg for forgiveness  
Your sins into me, oh my beautiful one

It all seemed to happen within a matter of about twenty-five seconds. 

"Wha wassat?!" Armpit said groggily, sitting up abruptly on his cot. Everyone around him in D-tent was also sitting up. Outside the tent, someone had fired a gunshot.

"Well would someone turn on a light?" muttered X-Ray, feeling around for his glasses.

Squid yawned. "'was probably just Mr. Sir firing at one'a them yellow lizards or whatever. I'm zonkin back out guys," he yawned again, laying back down.

There was a pause as Stanley turned a light on, and everyone groaned.

"Man, would you turn the light off, yo?!" X-Ray yelled, and Zigzag screeched, "MY EYYYYES!" 

"Well you wanted it on," Stanley mumbled his response. And then reaching to switch his lantern off, Zero suddenly shouted, "WAIT!"

"Huh?" answered six voices.

"….Magnet," Zero said quietly, "where's Magnet?"

Everyone looked from him to Magnet's cot. The sheets and blanket were in a jumbled mess. It _looked _like someone was sleeping in it…

But it was empty.

There was another pause as the six of them just shrugged and looked t eachother, absentmindedly. They suddenly they all simultaneously jerked their heads to the entry flap. Outside, something coughed and then said, "I'm going to throw up!"

Whoever, or whatever it was, had a thick Hispanic accent. 

"Man, what's up?!" whispered Armpit. X-Ray snapped, "SHH!"

Then they heard Pendanski's unmistakably all-too-familiar voice, saying, "well maybe if you would've fought back-"

There was a belch, then a gag, than a sound like a splash. Someone outside _was_ throwing up. Back inside the tent, Stanley emitted a slight, "ew."

"Mom," the person with the Hispanic voice outside said, "it was two AM!" then they gagged again.

"José, go get a drink," said Pendanski. 

That had to be Magnet he was talking to.

"Zig, Squid," X-Ray ordered, "go see what's going on!"

"No way, man," responded Squid, "I'm staying in here. Zig, you're the psycho, you go check it out."

Zigzag stared at him for a second, his eyes open wide. Then he slowly stood up…

Suddenly there was a dull THUD and a shirtless figure stumbled into the tent, and fell to it's knees, gasping.

And it was pure pandemonium. Zigzag shrieked and fell back onto his cot. Both armpit and Squid yelled, "OHMIGOD!" X-Ray shouted, "MAGNET?!" Stanley gasped. Zero dove under his pillow. 

The figure grasped its stomach, and gagged, lurching forward, like it was trying to vomit, with nothing coming up. Then it whimpered slightly, and laid on the floor, rolling onto it's stomach, and curling into a ball. It was still gasping and gagging. 

It was Magnet.

"Magnet? HEY! HEY MAN! SPEAK TO US MAGNET! Magnet….."

They all stared at him. It was definitely him….or at least what was left of him. Something had undoubtedly happened to him. 

He yelped a little bit. "Mi estómago," he moaned. 

Squid looked from him, to X-Ray. "Is he…?" X-Ray shrugged.

Then slowly, Magnet unraveled himself, and slowly stood, bending over, placing his hands on his knees. He still gasped, like he couldn't breathe.

When he finally stood up fully, he winced and sat back down on the floor. Everyone else in D-tent gasped. On Magnet's thin torso, there were three huge welts. He also had various other bruises on his shoulders, forearms, neck, and face.

"Awe man," X-Ray sighed.

"Lookit you…." Added Armpit, who got up and bent over the Hispanic boy. "C'mon, lets get you on yo' bed." He carefully put his big, burly arm around Magnet's waist, and placed the boy's other arm around his neck. Then slowly, carefully, stood up. Magnet had all of his weight propped against Armpit.

The other boys were whispering quietly amongst themselves, as Armpit half-carried Magnet to his cot and sat him there. Magnet looked at him, and then began to mumble on in Spanish. "Es aceptable, yo no ned ayuda, yo está muy bien."

"What happened?" asked Stanley, concentrating hard on Magnet.

"Nada, ningún reparto grande, viviré."

"Whaa?"

"Yo y algunos individuos apenas conseguidos áspero para arriba, comprende?"

"Make him speak English!" whined Squid.

"Man," sighed X-Ray, "don't you remember when Magnet first came here, all he spoke was Spanish?"

"Yeah," added Zigzag, "he only goes off in Spanish when he's mad."

"Or sad, or confused," said X-Ray.

Stanley was still concentrating really hard on Magnet. And then softly, gently, he said, "Tell us how you got hurt…in English."

They were all quiet, looking at him intently, though half-expecting another response in Spanish. But Magnet just glanced up, and mumbled, "…you mean I wasn't speaking English?"

"No!" they all replied at once.

"Damn." He paused and then said, "It's nothin really, just-"

"BULLSHIT!" X-Ray yelled, shaking his head, "and my mom is Pamela Anderson, please, Magnet."

"Estoy apesadumbrado."  
  
"English."

"GODAMMIT, I'M SORRY!" Magnet barked. He pulled his knees up to his chin, and buried his face in his knees. "Look, I'm sorry I'm Hispanic, but it ain't like I chose it, okay?"

They raised their eyebrows at him. "Magnet," said Zigzag, "no one said anything about you being Mexican."

"_Dominican_! Dammit I was born in the Dominican Republic!" 

"Whatever," sighed Squid, "we just don't like it when you go off in Spanish, cause none of us here know what you're sayin, alright?" 

Magnet looked up, and shrugged. "I just don't like being bagged on for it."

"Who was bagging on you?" asked Stanley.

"Eh. Just some idiotas in B-tent, earlier," he pointed to the entry flap, "but I'm alright, you-"

"THEY WHAT?!" shouted Armpit.

"JUST NOW?!" added X-Ray.

"WERE THEY WITH THE KKK?" Zigzag shrieked.

Magnet blushed, knowing they weren't going to give up until they got the whole story out of him anyway. "….ye-…..y…si," he stuttered.

"YOU MEAN THET WERE WITH THE KKK?" Zigzag's eyes widened, and his hair stood up, wild as ever, "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT ALL ALONG!"

"No, Zig," X-Ray sighed.

"Yeah, chill dog," said Armpit. X-Ray shook his head again and looked back to Magnet. Everyone looked back to Magnet.

"So lemme get this strait," said Squid, "a bunch of jackasses beat you up like ten minutes ago for being Mexi – I MEAN – for being Dominican?" 

Magnet nodded.

"WHAT FUCKERS!" Squid exclaimed, with everyone else agreeing.

X-Ray then held out his arms to signal them to be quiet. "So what all happened?"

Magnet looked back down. "I had to go to the bathroom, okay? So I get up to go, and on the way back, these idiotas started dissin me, callin me a wetback and to go back to my country, and all…." He paused, and sniffed.

"…man, that's cold," whispered Armpit. Everyone nodded. "You don't say that kind of shit to people."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  


Well…that's all for now. This will be a 3 to 4 part fic. If you liked it, and you haven't check out my other Holes fic, try searching for it. It's called "Daunted" and it's by me, WheelerChick, obviously. Please leave a review, even if you didn't like this story (cause I don't think it's that great either, personally). I like flames, lol. They amuse me.


	2. Part 2

****

Prejudice. Xeno. Animosity Pain.

Part 2. Twenty Minutes Before.

By Aly the WheelerChick

****

Disclaimer(s): These lyrics are copywritten to Limp Bizkit. Magnet, Holes, and other related items are Louis Sachar's and not mine.

A/n: Holy crap. Reviews. You liked it? SWEEEEET! I love you guys! OH! And someone asked in email what I've been discriminated for. I'm southern Italian, and I have a little bit of a "Marlon Brando" accent, that people have picked apart and the whole nine yards. Bleh. It doesn't sound like much….but its not fun when people constantly pick out the way you say words and try to imitate you, and have dissed you and other Italians, and have asked you if you're part of the Mafia, etc. 

Special Thanks to: H-Chan, Eh, Man, Sixstars, Incubus4lotr11, because they are like my fanclub, lol. You guys ROCK! Thanks for the reviews and always being open to discuss the D-tent boyz, and everything. Also, thanks to Geeseflysouthforthewinter, Satan's Apprentice, x cherrykoolaid, Quiet One (who is an awesome Zigzag writer/portrayer, read her stuff, but everyone else writes well too, so rock on!) and slvrfng, though I have no idea what they're talking about, some other random person named 'me', and everyone, lol.

I'm dead from all the loneliness, this is how i feel 

Understanding everything has never been my deal 

Maybe you have crossed my path to live inside of me   


or maybe you're the reason why I'm losing all my decency 

Twenty Minutes Earlier.

Don't you hate it when it's the middle of the night, you're sleeping like a baby, and all of a sudden you wake up and have to go to the bathroom, which sucks, cause you're so tired and cozy and the last thin you wanna do is go jump in a five-foot holes, pee, and then climb back out? You can never get quite so comfortable again. And you can never sleep as soundly either. And you usually feel a little nauseous too, though you can never figure out for the life of you why.

Magnet woke up about ten till two, AM. 

He tried to ignore the aching in his bladder, and the urging fact that his body was telling him to get up and go relieve himself. He pulled the sheet up over his head, rolling onto his stomach. But as only a minute passed, he realized that wasn't possible to ignore, and he'd have to get up, unless he wanted to wet the bed. And he didn't really want to do that, exactly.

So he groaned, and violently kicked the sheets off, and rolled over again. His feet hit the hard ground, and he yawned. Then he felt around for his boots, and pulled then on, neglecting to tie the laces.

Too tired to pull on a shirt, he just went without one. Carefully, he tiptoed past Zigzag and X-Ray, trying not to make a sound. If X-Ray woke up, he'd have his neck for sure. He stumbled out the entry flap, still half-asleep, grumbling to himself in Spanish.

He was never really self-conscious about being Dominican. Latino. Hispanic. It never really bothered him, as long as people respected it. He'd been in some uneasy situations about it before, where stupid people treated him rudely, simply because of his accent or his deep skin tone. But it was never usually a big deal. He'd grown accustomed to that. 

He only ever got into a fight about it once. Someone mimicking and dissing his mother's very broken English. And then went on to insult him and his country. But that was it. He usually ignored the racist comments, maybe shooting a few of his own back, but that was about the extent of it. 

Making his way past the showers, toward the holes, he could hear voices. They had to be other campers, because it was no way those voices could be mistaken from counselors. Whoever it was had somewhat arrogant voices, talking slang, and laughing. It sounded like they were imitating someone.

__

Who the hell is up at this hour? He thought, considering the idea of going to check out what was going on, but he decided not to. He kept walking straight. 

When he got to his 'destination', he hopped into one of the holes, still half-asleep. He was pretty sure nothing was in it, except him, and did his business. Then he sighed a slight, "phew", and zipped his pants back up, and tied the sleeves around his waist. Cool night air felt good on his back.

Yet, he was still thinking about the kid that bagged on his Madre. 

__

We are all equal on the inside, aren't we? We are all equal in the eyes of God, right? So what was the big deal? He thought, with racism – or any kind of discrimination. Why did it matter? He remembered first coming to Camp green Lake, meeting X-Ray, Squid, Barfbag, and Armpit. He was then, and still was, the only Hispanic kid. One of two in the entire camp, actually. That was when he only spoke Spanish….partially ashamed that his English wasn't so good, and partially because he was intimidated. It was the only time he felt truly vulnerable for his race. But things were okay between everyone, and things lightened up.

Or so he thought, at least.

He put his arms on the flat ground above the hole to hoist himself out, when something pushed him back into the hole. He emitted a small yelp, and then looked up. Three white boys looked back down at him, laughing.

"Hey, wot choo' do'eeng out so late, compadre?" one of them, with short dark blonde hair said, mimicking a Hispanic accent. 

"Leave me alone" Magnet mumbled, standing back up. His back was coated in dirt.

"What?" continued the blonde kid, "You out heere loo-keeng fir a yob?" Magnet stared at him.

"Don't choo remember yo' eeng-lees?" said another kid, one with blackish hair. The tree of them laughed.

"Fuck off," Magnet growled, hoisting himself out on the other side of the hole. _I don't need this!_

"Whot 'choo gonna do, wetback? Run back to Meh-hee-co?" 

Magnet's face flushed a bright red, and it felt like steam was coming out og his ears. He wanted to punch them, hurt them all, but he knew better. Exhaling slowly, he turned to walk back to the tent.

"ANDELE! ANDELE!" one of the boys started yelling, laughing, "ARRIBA! ARRIBA! ANDELE! ANDELE!"

"OO-WEE! A SPICY BURRITO!"

"EL NINTENDO!" 

Magnet stopped, dead in his tracks. His anger was boiling.

"You know?" he recognized the blonde kid's cocky voice without turning around. The kid dropped the accent. "It's amazing the government lets you illegal aliens in the country." And the laughter started again.

Magnet spun around, "at least my mother wasn't some two-cent whore-"

"Yeah yeah, go back your opium fields, ya dirty Mexican." 

"Dominican Republic, jackass," Magnet replied through clenched teeth. They laughed a second longer, and then the blonde kid stepped forward, his eyes pierced Magnet's.

"Yackass? You think I'm a yackass? I show you yackass right here!"

Magnet was on his knees with a stinging pain in his stomach that made him gasp. The blonde kid gave him a swift uppercut, hard, in the soft bare flesh of his stomach. 

"HOW YOU LIKE THAT, WETBACK?!"

One of them kicked him in the chest, and he fell backward, smacking his head on the ground, and cried out in pain.

"Grab his arms!" one of the kids said. He couldn't tell who. Then he screamed again as one of them dragged him into an upright position, then twisted his arms back, sharply. His shoulders felt like they were lit on fire; and he could almost feel the tendons in his joints rip.

"Awwwe! Did we hurt 'choo?" blondie was mimicking the accent again.

They punched him. They kicked him. Minutes passed like hours. He squirmed, trying to sing his arms and fight back, but he couldn't. All he could do was scream and cry and wish for it all to be over soon, or that he'd die sooner, (one or the other) as he watched bruises and welts form on his body. He wished he'd have put a shirt on.

What hurt the most, even more than when one of them kicked him in the groin – where all he could do was screech and cry at that – was the never-ending stream of insults and slurs they poured on him.

"DIRTY MEXICAN!" "WETBACK!" "BARRIO-FUCKER!" "JIG!"  
He winced at them all. Finally, the one kick let his shoulders go, and he fell back again, screaming, crying, and yelling for help from anyone. The sand and the dirt scraped his back and neck.

And then one of the boys' heavy boots crashed down on his shoulder, and he swore he could hear it crunch. He screamed, his whole body flinching.

"-GO BACK TO MEXICO!"

"-GO MAKE A TORTILLA!"

"-CUBAN COMMUNIST MOTHER-"

A gunshot. And it stopped.


	3. Part 3

****

Prejudice. Xeno. Animosity. Pain.

Part 3. Continued from Part 2.

By Aly the WheelerChick

Disclaimer(s): Lyrics are copywritten to Stone Temple Pilots. Magnet, Holes, and all other characters and items belong to Louis Sachar and other people that are not myself. 

****

A/n: I am so sorry for the lack of updates! I am so busy right now, that it isn't even funny. Seriously. I've been busting my butt working on my campaign speeches and posters because I'm running for class Secretary. I have a 20-page report due on Danish Resistance in the Holocaust. I have to make a poster for that, do timelines and research, and then on Tuesday give a 5-minnute oral report, PLUS, **I'm going away on Sunday and Monday, so I have even more work to make up….add this on top of all my other homework for my other classes, which are honors classes, so I get a ton (including 4 stories to write in 2 days).**

So please, bear with me here, people. I'm doing the best I can. OH! and "El Dios me ayuda" means "God help me" in Spanish. Or it's supposed to, at least.

Special Thanks to: My Holes Posse. Heather, Eh, Man, Emily, Sixstars, Incubus4lotr11, Satan's Apprentice, slvrfng, and the rest of ya. You guys rock so much, I love you guys! Also to Flamer, Insane Monster, and the rest of my reviewers, your compliments, thoughts, and concerns keep me going on, so….kick it! You rock!

__

I am smellin' like a rose that somebody gave me

On my birthday deathbed 

I am smellin' like a rose that somebody gave me

Cause I'm dead and bloated

All things get worse before they get better.

Magnet felt his entire body going limp. He didn't close his eyes thought, for fear of never being able to open them again. The boys' laughing and torturous name-calling was replaced by nervous shouting. "What happened??!" "Who's there?!" "Shit, they see us!" "Oh fuck!" "SHIT!"

Magnet used his left arm, his good arm, to push his upper body forward. He gasped in pain and fell back onto his back. Voices from counselors seemed to be surrounding him.

"OHMI-"

"ANDREW! NICKY! SEAN!"

"Is that kid-"

Suddenly Pendanski and the two other counselors were standing over top of him.

"JOSÉ!" shouted Pendanski, "José, speak! Are you alright?"

The other counselors looked unsurely at both Magnet and Pendanski. 

"Si….I'm fine," Magnet choked out. An obvious lie. Pendanski gave him a half-smirking smile which would have made him want to raise his eyebrow, if only it didn't hurt so much to move.

"I think we should get Mr. Sir or the Warden-" one of the other counselors began saying.

"NO!" replied Pendanski, "I mean, you heard José! He said he'll be fine! In fact, you guys can go back to the tent and I'll handle this-" 

Things went silent. Magnet groaned. The pain was only getting worse, and he was starting to get dizzy from just laying on the ground. He tried to relax himself, and think of things to take hi mind off the pain. He could hear someone asking the three boys questions. They said they were from B-tent. 

__

'B' stands for 'bastards', he thought. The counselors were conversing again, and he couldn't help turning his attention back to them. 

"He's okay, don't worry!-" 

"-his lip and nose are bleeding, and he's got welts and bruises all over-"

"I said 'he's okay'. He's in my tent, I'll handle this, thanks!"

Magnet coughed, and then screamed. His whole body hurt when he coughed. He tried to take his mind off the pain again._ Why won't Mom let them help me? _The counselors were arguing. Magnet felt overly nauseous. 

"HE CAN'T EVEN SIT UP! We'll have to call-"

"Thank you, I know what I'm doing."

They mumbled a few other things to each other that he couldn't hear and then the other counselors got up and stomped off. Pendanski stayed. 

The second they were out of sight, the dizziness took over him completely. He was queasy. "I'm gonna – Mom, I'm gonna –"

If he wasn't mistaken, Pendanski sniggered at him. "It's just a few bruises and a bloody nose. You'll live. C'mon, get up." He offered his hand, and Magnet took it. He was pulled into an upright position, and then onto his feet.

The second he was on his feet, the queasiness and the dizziness seemed to multiply and intensify at least ten time. His surroundings shifted into intense focus, and then completely out of focus. He stumbled and moaned. Then he gagged and grabbed his stomach. "I'm going to throw up!"

Pendanski looked at him and shook his head. "We'll maybe if you would've fought back, you-"

Magnet didn't hear the rest of what he said. He was back on his knees again, gagging. Then he belched and vomited. A little bit of blood came up too, mixed in with it. 

When he finished, he was left weak and exhausted and scared. He looked up at Pendanski, timidly, wiping his mouth and his forehead. Pendanski just shook his head. "Mom, it was two AM!" Pendanski sighed.

Suddenly Magnet lurched again and belched. He didn't think there was anything left in him that he could possibly throw up. But he leaned forward and vomited again, though mostly all that came up was just stomach acid and some blood. Then he groaned helplessly. "El Dios me ayuda…"

"José, go get a drink," said Pendanski, offering his bottle of water. "Here."

Magnet took it, sipped some, then spit it out. Then he took another sip and swallowed that. "Help me…" he whispered faintly. Pendanski did, with the same ever present smirk on his face. Then…

"Get back to the tent!" he barked at him, and shoved him forward. Magnet felt the familiar dizziness and queasiness washing over him again. He gasped.

  
He didn't remember what happened on the way there, or how he made it there, or even if he was still alive. But somehow it happened. Magnet stumbled into D-tent. 

All he could remember was everyone screaming and asking him questions, and telling him to stop speaking in Spanish. Armpit helped him to his cot, and Squid and Zigzag went off screaming something. But it was all just a blur, and didn't make much sense in his brain. 

He felt he was at his lowest low, all because he happened to have been born in the Dominican Republic. And because his English could use some improvement.

A tear ran down his cheek a he pulled the blankets up over his head. It was followed by more tears that he didn't have the strength to bother to wipe away. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Okay guys, listen up: I am so so so (x1000 times) sorry for not making this chapter any better….I promise things get a lot better in the next chapter, and so much happens. I'll have 2 chapters after this one. Again, I'm really sorry, but I thought this needed updated, and this is all I can give you for now….but I promise more and of better quality next time, okay? 


	4. Part 4

****

Prejudice. Xeno. Animosity. Pain. 

Part 4. The Morning After.

By Aly the WheelerChick

****

Disclaimer(s): Lyrics belong to Linkin Park. Magnet, Holes, and other characters belong to Louis Sachar, and other people that are not myself.

****

A/n: Whoo! This chapter was kind of fun to write. Everything will be made clear in the next and final chapter. Thank you guys for reading and reviewing. You all rock, seriously! Keep spreading the Holes love, and enjoy the chapter/ficness. 

But in the meantime there are those who wanna talk this and that  
So I suppose that it gets to a point where feelings gotta get hurt  
And get dirty with the people spreading the dirt

Stanley yawned. It was four AM. He'd been up since quarter after two, keeping and eye on Magnet. Not that it was a big deal, in fact he offered to do it. Even after Zigzag told him that they could take shifts. But going to dig a hole was going to be like going to dig your own grave. 

There was no way in hell Magnet could do it. 

He could see tear streaks where the Hispanic boy basically cried himself to sleep. Magnet's eyes fluttered open at the horn that woke them for breakfast. Stanley sighed, and gave him an exhausted, yet relieved smile. "Hard night, eh? You feel any better?"

Magnet groaned. He could taste the crusted blood on his lips. His right arm hurt when he moved it the slightest. His whole body was stiff, his neck ached, and it felt like there were open gashes in his stomach, though he knew there wasn't. When he looked at the Caveman though, he couldn't help but smile. 

"Whoa, Caveman, you got like these huge rings under your eyes! You look like you're in worse shape than I am, man!"

Stanley laughed slightly. "'was up all night watchin you. Didn't sleep as much."

Magnet's smile dropped to a frown, and he looked down at his bed sheets. "Man, I'm sorry…" the memories flooded back into his brain.

"Nah, nah, its okay." 

"Yeah, Magnet-man, ain't your fault that people have their heads shoved up their asses," Squid said. All the rest of the guys were up and getting dressed silently, too tired to talk. 

Magnet tried to sit up. Pain shot through his entire body, particularly residing in his right shoulder. He screamed.

"YO! YO! COOL IT! LAY BACK DOWN!" Stanley yelled, extending his arm over Magnet to keep him from sitting up any further. Magnet fell back, taking short quick breaths. "Ahhh…." He cried.

"You alright, Magnet?" asked X-Ray. 

"Hey yo, take it easy man," said Zigzag.

"M-my shoulder…" Magnet whispered, "Guys, I can't move! One of those bastards like, completely crushed it earlier-"

"Alright, alright, shh!" said Stanley, "Just calm down. One of you guys come with me and we'll get Pendanski or the Warden or somethin. Yo, Zero! Pit! One of you guys, c'mon!" 

Zero got up off his cot, mumbling something, and the both of them took off jogging out of the tent. An uneasy silence lingered inside the tent. No one knew what to say to the other when….

Moments later, Mr. Sir, Pendanski, and the Warden came barreling in through the tent's entry flap, almost knocking over Stanley and Zero. 

"Where is he?" asked the Warden. Zero pointed. 

"Oh God…." She said, staring at Magnet. Magnet's eyes widened. He looked shocked and scared.

"He said he'd be okay!" said Pendanski, in a panicky voice. 

"Look at 'im!" said Mr. Sir, "kid's got bruises on 'is bruises! Not even I'd make him dig!"

"He can't even get up, let alone dig!" X-Ray told them, "He can't move his arm."

The three authorities looked from Magnet to X-Ray then back again. The Warden sighed. "We might have to call-"

"Shit!" exclaimed Mr. Sir. Pendanski nodded. The Warden was mumbling quietly to her self. "What are we gonna do? What am I gonna do…."

The rest of D-tent, including Magnet, looked from one to another, all their expressions puzzled. They shrugged back and forth at each other, as the Warden continued mumbling. Finally she said, "Magnet, you don't gotta dig today." 

Magnet nodded and Squid shot him an unintentional expression of evil jealousy. Magnet saw. "Hey Squid, I'd currently give anything to be out there digging a hole than stuck in here all busted up, and not able to move my arm." Squid shrugged. "I know." 

"HEY!" The Warden said suddenly, "Don't mean the rest of ya get to sit around here doin nothing! You got holes to dig! Get outta here!"

They all sighed and grabbed their bandannas, caps, do-rags, and canteens, and mumbled farewells to Magnet, and filed out the flap, heading for the mess hall. Behind them in the tent, they heard Mr. Sir yell "well what if he got infected and needs his arm amputated or something!" Zigzag shuddered at it. The rest of the guys glanced at him and raised their eyebrows.

"I hate people," Zigzag said, "Especially racist KKK bastards."

Everyone nodded. "It sucks," mumbled X-Ray, "We's all equal, ya know?" 

"Yeah," Said Armpit, "Shit amazes me though. You know there used to be this governor in Mississippi that was like one of the top dogs in the KKK, and like, no one did anything about it. You know what I'm sayin?" 

"That's whacked!" shouted Stanley, staring at Armpit in disbelief. "I know," Pit replied. X-Ray shook his head, wanting to say something, but refraining from it. "It's fucked up," Grunted Squid. "The whole system is." 

Trudging to the mess hall was always a bitch, and there was no denying it. They all hobbled there slowly, and none of them hungry. No one in the state of Texas is ever really 'hungry' at four-thirty AM. Yet, there were slow there and slow to eat for another reason though. The faster you walk to the mess hall, and the faster you eat, means the faster you'll be out on the lake digging a hole. 

And though sometimes you want to walk and eat fast so you can start and finish your hole early….

No one's mind was really set on digging today. 

None the less, they got their trays and sat down, and procrastinated eating the 'food upon them. They stayed quiet, listening to everyone around them yawn and chatter. Squid tried to work the sleep out of his eyes. Zero pushed the food around on his pate with his fork.

"…who the hell?" whispered Stanley.

"Shut up and eat, Caveman," X-Ray muttered.

  
"No!" Stanley replied, "I-I mean, there's like-" 

Suddenly Armpit roared, "YO! SHUT THE FUCK UP MAN!" and stood up, almost knocking his chair over. He looked menacing, with the veins on the sides of his neck seeming to pop out of his skin. Stanley cringed, thinking Armpit meant him, but soon enough, he saw that he wasn't. Armpit was facing another table behind theirs. Everyone turned to see who it was in particular that he was screaming at. Silence fell across the hall. 

With the exception of three boys sitting one table over, there was still slightly giggling.

"C'MON CRACKER BOYS! YOU WANNA TALK TRASH ABOUT MAGNET?! MAN, YOU GOT SOMMIN AGAINST LATINOS? C'MON, YOU SETTLE IT WIT ME!" 

One of the boys, with slightly blonde hair, rolled his eyes. "Oh, your wetback friend?" he said. "Rick Ricardo!" said another one.

"More like Ricky Retardo." 

"Luuuuucy! You gotsa lotsa 'splaining to dooo!"

"MAN, SHUT UP!" shouted X-Ray. He stood too. Zigzag followed, and so did Stanley, Zero, and Squid. 

"And you're gonna stop me? Like the dirty Mexican? Yeah, he did a hell of a job fighting back!" The two groups inched closer to each other.

"I will bash your face in," seethed Armpit. He leaned in, staring directly into the blonde's eyes. X-Ray and Squid were on either side of him, also staring down the other two guys. And on either side of them were Stanley and Zero, and Zigzag.

"Cool it, Pit," whispered X-Ray. Armpit grunted. "One smartass remark and they're all dead."

But the blonde kid showed not a single sign of concurrence or fear from anything Armpit said. 

And he was about to regret it. A lot. 

Because what happened next could've been avoided. Though it happened almost all too fast. 

The blonde shifted his glance from Armpit, and was now staring at X-Ray. X-Ray did the same thing, moving his stone cold glare from the other kid to him.

"Why you tell your G to chill out, Negro boy? C'mon show me what you got-"

It was like X-Ray forgot everything he said. "WHA'D YOU SAY?!" he screamed. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" Armpit added.

No one was sure who lunged for them first. But it was an instant all-out brawl.

X-Ray's fist shot out from his side and made hard contact with the blonde's nose, and he fell back in pain. Armpit was all over him next, punching and swinging his fists into his gut over and over. Squid completely tackled the kid with the almost-black hiar, and straddled his legs over him, sitting on top of him, and pinned his arms to the ground. Zigzag kicked the third boy, one with a lighter brown hair, in the shins, and then grabbed both his arms and twisted them hard. Other boys began shouting, screaming, and cheering. It was pure pandemonium. 

"C'MON!" Stanley yelled at Zero and turned back to their table. Zero raised an eyebrow. "WHAT ARE WE DOING?!" he replied. 

"HELPING!" shouted Stanley. "HERE, C'MON!" he picked up his tray and scooped a glob of refried beans in his fingers. "TAKE THIS!"

He hurled the beans at the boy Zigzag was holding. They hit him smack in the middle of his forehead. Zero followed suit, hitting the blonde kid in the shoulder. Someone on the side screamed, "FOOOOD FIIIIIGHT!"

A second later, X-Ray urged Armpit, Squid, and Zigzag off of the guys. "We can't kill them!" he said, "We'll be locked up in jail for an eternity!" A glob of beans hit him on the chest.

The food was flying in every direction now, and everyone was throwing it. Well, everyone expect the three B-tent members on the floor. People were shouting, screaming, and cussing. Everyone was out of their seats.

It looked like it was World War III. 

Suddenly the lights flickered off, and a raging voice filled the room.

  
"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

The mess fall fell silent as Mr. Sir swaggered in, looking even more menacing than Armpit previous had. _"Who is responsible for this?"_

Low murmuring fell over the hall as people pointed and staring in all directions. Finally, someone yelled "CAVEMAN!" while another person yelled "X-RAY!" 

Instantly, everyone started yelled out the names of each member of D-tent. Someone even yelled "MAGNET!" out of pure stupidity. Mr. Sir narrowed his eyes.

__

"D-tent, come with me," he hissed. 

Covered in food, and showing no emotion, Squid obediently stepped out of the crowd toward the doorway. Armpit followed. Then Zero. Then Stanley. Then Zigzag.

Finally, X-Ray looked up at Mr. Sir, then down at the blond kid. Though his face was dripping with blood from his bleeding nose, the kid still managed to ignorantly roll his eyes. They looked filled with poison.

"You tryin to be the Mafia, eh Marlon Brando?" he whispered, "this a re-enactment of The Godfather?" 

X-Ray simply nodded.

"We're D-tent, yo. You mess wit one of us, and you mess wit us all. We're like family." 

The blonde kid sneered, but X-Ray didn't care. He sucked some saliva from the walls of his mouth.

Everyone was watching.

Then X-Ray spat on him, the mass of saliva landing on the blonde's cheek. X-Ray help a still expression. He turned and walked out of the silent crowd.

Spit is a waste product.

It belongs in a garbage can.

Or in this case, a racist mongrel's cheek.


	5. Part 5

****

Prejudice. Xeno. Animosity. Pain. 

Part 5 – Los Grande Finale.

By Aly the WheelerChick

****

Disclaimer(s):Lyrics belong to Matchbox Twenty. Magnet, Holes, and other related characters and items are Louis Sachar's and other people that are not myself.

****

A/n: I'm sad to have to finish it (!) but this fic can't go on forever. All things eventually gotta come to an end sometime. So I hope you guys like the finale…it's kinda long….that's what took me forever to finally get it posted. But it's here and I won't waste your time with useless notes. I appreciate all your reviews, but I have longer thanks at the bottom. Rock on, guys. OH! And I gotsa Spanish "Dictionary" below.

**__**

"CNO ME LASTIME" – "Don't hurt me!"

"Qué sobre esta cosa" – "what is this?" ('Qué' is 'what')

"Si" – "yes"

"Silencio" – "silence"

"Primero me dieron la materia para hacerme sueño y" – "First they gave me medicine to make me sleep and…" ….and the rest of the stuff is obvious or there is no good translation.

****

On with the ficcage.

I know, but I still 

Believe in ignorance as my best defense 

So go on, wreck me

Funny how I carry on, and not be taken over 

Will not roll over on anyone, 

Cause anyone would stand up on my side 

Magnet couldn't move any part of his arm. Not his elbow, wrist, or even his fingers. Terrified, his mind began to race.

Looking around him, he didn't know the surroundings. He was in a blue room on a blue cot. There was a table to his left, and a refrigerator on the opposite side of the room. The unfamiliarity of the place made him panic even more.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself down. Slowly, he began to recognize the place. _This is the room they brought Barfbag to when he was bitten by a rattlesnake, _he thought. He remembered it was in a room in the Warden's Cabin, and they kept antivenin and other medical stuff in the refrigerator. He began to relax some more. _Hey, it's air-conditioned in here!_

He noticed his arm was all bandaged up in gauze and ACE bandages. It was also strapped against his body in a padded blue sling. That was why he couldn't move it.

He yawned, feeling extremely groggy and not being able to remember much of what happened earlier. About two hours after the other guys left to get breakfast, three men showed up. He remembered one was a 'Medical Specialist;. The other told him he was an 'AG', but he didn't know what that was. The third man was a policeman that said nothing.

He remembered they gave him a drink and then they were going to inject him with a sedative. And that was all the remembered. He tried to guess at how long he'd been out of it.

Outside the small room, he could hear people talking. He didn't recognize a few of the male voices. He did know Mr. Sir's and Pendanski's. And of course the Warden. His grogginess made it difficult to understand what they were saying, and the fact that they were in another room helped none in the least. Yet, he strained to hear what they said anyway.

__

"What kind of facility is this?" one man was saying, _"You have no proper medical care! José was close to-"_

__

"Yeah yeah yeah," the Warden's voice responded, _"If we could get more money from the state-" _

"Don't get feisty"

"You can get charged a felony for child abuse, Ms. Walker." 

Magnet blinked. He never considered it child abuse. Well, okay, maybe a little. X-Ray called it forced or slave labor. He strained again to hear Pendanski yell something, and then he heard another man's voice that he didn't recognize say, _"He has bruised ribs, a fractured shoulder, stitches, and an IV in his wrist!"_

A what?

Magnet glanced to his left and saw what looked like an iron hat tree, with a clear plastic bag hanging from it. The bag contained a clear liquid in it, with a tube attached at the bottom of it. His eyes traced the tube down.

He nearly fainted at the sight of his left wrist. There was a large needle injected on the underside, and it was taped there. He didn't feel it before, but focusing all his attention on it now, he could feel an unpleasant tingling sensation. He slightly tugged on the tube connected to the needle that the medication flowed through. He desperately wanted the needle out of his wrist.

The people in the other room were yelling now, and Magnet didn't have to strain to hear them.

__

"I'M GOING IN THAT ROOM TO SPEAK WITH HIM!" a man shouted.

__

"HE'S SLEEPING!" responded the Warden.

"It's my job, ma'am," the man said.

"BUT-"

Too late. In the right-hand corner of the room was a door. Magnet heard the handle click, and then saw it turn. A man in a white jacket – presumably the doctor, (or the 'Medical Specialist' as he called himself) and another man in a greyish suit barged through the door.

"¡CNO ME LASTIME!"screamed Magnet like a reflex. The Warden stumbled in the door after them.

"I'm calling in an investigation of this camp," said the man in the suit. The doctor nodded.

"José?" the doctor was speaking to him now.

"Qué?"

"You have a right to know what we did after you were put under a sedative, it's my job to tell you. Sooo-" the doctor went on. Magnet nodded. The man in the suit took the Warden into the corner and was talking to her in low tones. He shifted his attention back to the doctor.

"First thing we did was stitch up a nasty gash in your forehead."

Magnet slowly raised his hand to his forehead and lightly patted the area with his fingertips. He could feel the thread of the stitches embedded in his flesh. He didn't know what to think.

"Those will dissolve in time," the doctor continued. "We definitely knew there were complications with your shoulder. With an examination, we concurred that you had a hairline fracture, so we gave you some novocaine and wrapped that up-" 

Magnet raised his eyebrow, not having half a clue of what most of that meant. Yet he listened on anyway.

"Then we did your ribs. They were extremely bruised, so we wrapped those up. I don't think you broke any of those, but just to be sure, we are going to be taking you to the hospital in an ambulance in about an hour or so. Your Warden didn't seem to be too thrilled, but-"

__

Taking me in an ambulance?

That meant…that meant he was going away from camp! He suddenly felt 180% better and had half a mind to jump up and shriek "ARRRIIIBA!" like his Great Aunt used to do at family reunions down in Santo Domingo. 

The sick feeling came back soon enough though. He realized he wouldn't be able to take any of the other guys with him. He glanced down at the needle in his wrist.

"Qué sobre esta cosa?" he murmured looking back up at the doctor, and then staring back down at the needle and the IV. 

"The IV?" the doctor asked.

"Si," Magnet said and shook his head.

"Just some vitamins and other nutrients to keep you from getting sick, and having any side effects. And so your body has better strength to repair itself. Those boys really did a number on you, kiddo." 

Magnet shrugged, "Si, Señor." The doctor smiled.

Suddenly the door burst open again, and Armpit and X-Ray marched in, followed by Squid, Zigzag, Stanley, and Zero. Mr. Sir and Pendanski came in after them. 

"MAGNET!" – "YOU'RE ALIVE!" – "WE THOUGHT-" – "X-RAY SAID-" – "SURGERY?!" - "YOU'RE LEAVING?!" each of them, even Zero, was asking a million questions at once.

His head spun. "SILENCIO!" he yelled at last. It worked. Silence fell upon everyone. 

"Primero me dieron la materia para hacerme sueño y –" 

They all rolled their eyes. "There he goes with the Spanish again," said Zigzag. Squid nodded. "Yo, ENGLISH, man!"

"Sorry," Magnet mumbled, half-blushing. "I-"

Yet, he was interrupted again by the man in the suit, "Doc, Ms. Walker, Sir, Pendanski, whaddya say we step into the other room for now and leave these boys to themselves? José's had a long day."

The doctor smiled, and Mr. Sir and Pendanski glared. The Warden just stood there gaping. Then slowly they escorted themselves out. When the door clicked, and the authorities were all in the other room, the ruckus started up again.

"HEY! HEY, YO, GUYS!" Magnet tried to call for their attention once again but it wasn't seeming to work. He rolled his eyes.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIBA!" he hooted in a high pitched ton, and trilling his r's. And again it got silent for the moment.

"Whoa, do that again!" said Squid in awe. Magnet smiled, "My whole family jumps around doing that on Independence Day. And my Great Aunt does it at family reunions."

"Alright, alright, chill out guys," said X-Ray.

"Wait a sec," Magnet raised his eyebrow, "How'd you gets get in here anyway?"

Armpit shrugged. "X convinced Mom. I dunno how he did it!"

:Yeah, it's not a big deal," X-Ray smiled, "Anyway, Mags, they said you were put to sleep or sommin, yo, what the hell happened?"

"They gave me medicine called a sedative that makes you fall asleep. No surgery. Just an –"

"HOLY SHIT!" screeched Zigzag suddenly, "THERE'S A BIG NEEDLE IN YOUR ARM! MAN THEY'RE TRYING TO SUCK OUT HIS BRAIN THROUGH HIS VEINS, I KNOW IT!"

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Shut up Zigzag."

"Magnet shook his head back and forth, mumbling, "Why do I even bother? It's just vitamins and nutrients and stuff, man."

"Oh." Zigzag agreed, but he still stared, wide-eyed, unconvinced. 

"Anyway," said Stanley, "Why else? You should see your face. Bot your eyes are black."

Magnet let out a sign, "Stitches in my head, you see?" he pointed to them with his left hand, "Broken shoulder. Well – actually they said it was something else like fricature or something."

"Fracture?" suggested Stanley.

"Yeah, whatever. So they have like me whole right side bandaged to the point where I can't even move!" he said, whining a little. "And did I mention I have to go to the bathroom?"

Instantly in unison, everyone groaned. "LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR BLADDER, MAGNET!" Squid shouted.

Magnet grinned. "I'll hold it."

"Good," said X-Ray. There was a pause and then Armpit said, "So should we tell them how we kicked those other guys' asses to Kentucky?"

"You did _what?_" 

"Yeah!" added Zigzag, "It was awesome! See, they was badmouthin you again, and Armpit got mad. And then they made fun of X-Ray - and you know no one messes with X-Ray."

Magnet nodded. That much was true.

"And so anyway," Zigzag continued, "Armpit and X had the one kid. Squid had another, and I had the last one. And we was just beatin em and all! And then Caveman and Zero started this all-out food fight, and man, it was awesome! All for you, Magnet."

Magnet sat there shocked with his mouth hanging open. "No freakin way. You guys got total revenge? Just for me? No freakin way!"

"Mr. Sir did go off on us. And we're gonna be 'severely punished.' But it was worth it," Admitted X-Ray.

"But you spit on that one kid!" said Squid.

Magnet blinked. "What?"

"Yeah, X-Ray spit on the blonde kid. It was nasty but awesome all at the same time." Laughed Squid. He high-fived Armpit. 

X-Ray shook his head. "Because nobody messed with D-tent, fool. Now." He paused and waited for everyone to pay attention to him. "What's this about Mom says you leavin?"

It got really quiet.

"Uh…" Magnet stuttered, "It goes like this, see. The doctor said I bruised my ribs, and they got em all wrapped up and stuff – so like, they're gonna take me to the hospital though to make sure I didn't break any of em."

Armpit's jaw dropped open. "What?!" "No way," said Zigzag. "Lucky bastard," mumbled Squid. X-Ray and Stanley just nodded.

"When they taking you?" asked Stanley.

"They said in an hour. I don't remember when that was though," Magnet responded, sullenly. "But I don't think I'll be at the hospital very long!"

They all shrugged and stared at each other, trying to think of something to say.

"Well," said Squid at last, "have fun eating hospital food." Magnet smiled and mumbled, "Thanks. Wish you guys could come."

Suddenly, the door burst open again, and the doctor and the suit-man stepped in. The Warden and Pendanski were behind them. The Warden was talking under her breath.

"José!" the doctor said, "Mr. Pendanski packed all your belongings…we'll be leaving shortly."

"WHAT?!" Magnet shouted, "Mi amigos! I don't wanna go yet! I barely got to talk to them!" 

"José, we need to be out of here by seven before the x-ray techs leave."

Magnet looked back to his friends. "I really really wish I could take you guys with me," he muttered. "I need help getting up."

The doctor said something to the suit-man, and he turned around, and pulled a folded wheelchair out from behind where the Warden and Pendanski were standing. They wheeled it to Magnet's bedside. 

"Help me," Magnet mumbled to D-tent. X-Ray and Stanley covered his right side. Armpit and Squid handled his other. The doctor took down his IV and hooked it onto the back of the wheelchair. 

Finally, he was set.

To temporarily leave Camp Green Lake.

They all chatted a bit more, as they took turns pushing Magnet out of the room, and onto the porch of the Warden's cabin.

"Rex, Alan," Pendanski said, once they were all out on he dirt. An ambulance was a few feet over in the distance. "Ricky, Stanley, Theodore, Zero. Dinner is ready. Say goodbye to José and come with me."

Magnet smiled, yet felt horrible. This was going to be more emotional than he thought. _And I'm only leaving temporarily!_ He imagined what it would be like when he had to leave permanently. The thought was almost overbearing.

"LOOK!" Armpit shouted suddenly, and pointed towards the ambulance. A police car was pulled up beside it. A cop had three boys handcuffed and leaning over the trunk. He was talking to them in a low voice.

"I guess they're chargin them guys for a hate crime and shippin em out," X-Ray said in awe. "To prison?" asked Zigzag. "Yeah." Squid mumbled "damn" as Pendanski called them again. "Boys, if I have to call you one more time…"

"ALRIGHT MOM!" X-Ray boomed, "WE'RE JUST SAYING GOODBYE TO MAGNET!"

"HURRY UP!"

"OKAY!" X-Ray rolled his eyes and said, "We're gonna be lonely in D-tent while you're gone, man." He shook Magnet's hand and patted his good shoulder. They all did.

"Bye Magnet!" "Get better!" "Be good now, ya hear?"

Magnet nodded, telling them all goodbye and waving at them. As they ran off the pain slowly began to return to his body, making him feel achy and shitty again. And suddenly sleeping didn't seem like such a bad option.

The doctor told them a few things as they pushed him to the ambulance. He just nodded and mumbled "Si". As they pushed him along though, the images of the boys that abused him so much earlier became larger and clearer.

And as he was pushed right up next to them, so close that he seemed he was on top of them, the blonde boy sneered. The cop that was speaking to them and giving orders put his hand on the blonde's back and told him to settle down. The boy said nothing.

But Magnet was unfazed or intimidated, even though he was still the weaker force. He just looked at the boy calmly with sharp, piercing eyes, and spoke in a low, smooth voice,

"How do you like _me_ now?"

((Los Finale….The End!))

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And here comes the emotional part. The thanks. Grabs your tissues, lol XD I feel like one of them celebrities at the Grammy's._ "I'd like to thank my mom, and my dad, and my first grade teacher!" _lol, no, j/k.

-Heather, my main chica! For as long as I've been writing, you've been reading, even when no one else has. That's amazing….and one hell of a lot of reading, lol. Now lookit this!!! I feel like a rockstar! LIKE HICK MAN ROB! You're my best friend and the coolest #1 Fan in town. I lurve you – thank you!

For the Hoels Posse, you know who you are. And you're in my profile in case you forgot. You guys, especially Man and B, have encouraged me to keep writing. Thank you EVERYONE for your awesome, AWESOME reviews. I say this because I don't excel at much, but one of the few things I've gotten good at is writing. I've never been the best at anything, and every time I come close, someone beats me to the punch. I know I'm not even the best a writing, but I've come a long way. And your reviews make me feel like I can still be the best one day. Thank you.

~Aly

  



End file.
